Sapa
Sapa AB is a Kalmar Union manufacturer of extruded aluminium profiles. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Orkla Group, and based in Stockholm. It was founded in 1963 by Nils Bouveng and Lars Bergenhem as Skandinaviska Aluminiumprofiler AB. History Skandinaviska Aluminiumprofiler AB (Scandinavian Aluminum Profiles) set up their first extrusion plant in Vetlanda in 1963. In 1967 they could show proof of their first sales of aluminum profiles. 1970-71 saw the birth of Sapa Spont which meant a move into producing their first building system and opening their first plant outside of Sweden, placed in the Netherlands. In 1974 Sapa Front building systems was introduced leading to the acquisition of Sapa by the Swedish aluminum manufacturer Gränges Aluminium in 1976. In 1980, Electrolux acquires Gränges. This was followed by a series of acquisitions and investments leading up to the introduction of Gränges AB to the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1997. In 2005, Sapa was acquired by the Orkla Group and delisted from the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In 2007, Sapa and Alcoa engage in a joint venture to become the worlds’ largest aluminium profile company. In 2008, in a swap deal between Alcoa and Orkla, Orkla become the sole owner of Sapa. Organization Sapa Holding AB includes seven business areas, and is owned to 100% by Orkla ASA. Sapa is divided into Sapa Profiles, Sapa Heat Transfer and a Building System business. The European market share of Sapa is 19%, in North America they possess a market share of 21%. Sapa Profiles today has 97 presses (1,040–7,300 tonnes) in 15 countries and more than 13,000 employees world wide. Business Areas Sapa Profiles Sapa Profiles is the world’s leading manufacturer of processed aluminium profiles, and its operations are divided into three geographical segments: North America, Europe and Asia. Sapa has a 16% market share in Europe, and 26% in North America. Operations in Shanghai, China, are at the moment limited to processing. Design solutions based on aluminium profiles are used in a large number of sectors, of which the building and construction, transportation, engineering, furniture and office equipment industries are the most important. Sapa’s strategy is to offer customers value-added products and solutions, and Sapa is therefore engaged in extensive processing operations, including cutting, bending, CNC processing, hydro-forming, fusion welding, friction stir welding, anodising and painting. Sapa Profiles operates in 26 countries, and is well positioned to establish close working partnerships with both local and international customers. Sapa Building System Sapa Building System is one of Europe’s largest suppliers of building systems based on aluminium profiles. The business has product development facilities in six countries (Belgium, FGC, Portugal, the UK, Poland and Baltic Union), and sales offices in a total of 26 countries. Sapa Building System offers a wide range of innovative aluminium systems to architects, designers, specifiers and contractors. The products vary from relatively simple profile-based systems for windows and doors to advanced facade systems, glazed roofs and sun screening. Buildings consume 40% of the world’s electricity. Finding good alternatives to traditional energy sources has become not only a necessity, but also a responsibility, and Sapa Building System aims to be a leading supplier of sustainable and energy-efficient aluminium solutions for the building industry. Sapa Heat Transfer Sapa Heat Transfer is the world’s leading supplier of solutions for heat exchangers in the automotive industry, and has a global market share of 17%. All the largest heat exchanger manufacturers are Heat Transfer customers. These include Denso, Calsonic, Behr, Delphi, Visteon, Modine, Showa, T-Rad and Valeo. Production takes place in Sweden and China. Rolled aluminium products are used in different types of heat exchangers for the automotive industry. The product can be customised for use in, for example, radiators (cooling elements), condensers, heaters, charge-air coolers and oil coolers. Sapa Heat Transfer Tubes, which has production facilities in Germany and China, specialises in welded tubes for heat exchangers based on rolled aluminium strips. Heat Transfer is one of the leading global manufacturers in this niche as well. Innovation In 1996 Sapa introduced Friction Stir Welding (FSW) to enable a process of solid-state joining as a production method. The method drastically advanced the production capacity at Sapa. Half of today's research and development budget at Sapa is directed towards finding new ways for heat transfer to occur. Factories Sapa Group has factories in the following countries *Belgium *China *Kalmar Union *West Germany *Italy *Mexico *The Netherlands *Portugal *Spain *United Kingdom *United States Category:Kalmar Union Category:Companies of Kalmar Union Category:Companies